The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Gift Set: A Middle-earth Treasury: J. R. R. Tolkien (Pocket versions- Boxed)

You know the story of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, you know what it's all about so I won't go into it here. This is just about this particular pocket sized boxset.To start with, the set includes The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.The box itself is of sturdy construction and is beautifully illustrated with the map of Middle-Earth front, back and sides. The back also contains the names The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It also has the eye of Sauron in the Ring design surrounded with Elven script. On the front is Tolkien's name. The sides also have the dragon design of Smaug as seen on the Hobbit book. All pretty wonderful to look at.Now the books. The three Rings books have the usual minimalist design of the Eye as has been used for some time. Personally, I prefer the proper artwork designs of many older editions. Beautiful landscape vistas, towers and character depictions. As I say, that's just a personal choice.The Hobbit cover, by contrast, uses what I believe to be a copy of the original cover. Beautiful and evocative of the story contained within. As such, it really does stand out from the other three books.Now, this may be an issue for many when it comes to deciding whether or not to purchase this particular pocket set, and that would be the size (see photos). Be prepared for very small books. I was quite surprised at just how small they actually are. Weight wise, these are probably going to be absolutely perfect if you have trouble holding the full size editions for any length of time. Surprisingly, the print is still crisp and clear making it quite easy to read. As a way of judging if you might have problems reading it, I have to wear varivocals so my eyesight is not particularly great.All books are hardcover and seem well made. I personally think it is a wonderful set to stand alongside my many full sized editions and box sets. This set is, in fact, perfect for Hobbits everywhere.

Bought this for a small Christmas present and the recipient loved it.Presented nicely and well worth the price.

Being a Tolkien fanatic and collector I naturally have more than one copy of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. This is in fact my 9th copy of the LOTR, my oldest being a latter impression of the first edition. So why did I have to buy this set?Primarily because I find pocket editions of loved books irresistible. Many of you will have seen the lovely pocket hardbacks that OUP used to publish in the World’s Classics series. These are a similar concept but slightly larger. There is something deeply attractive in the concept of being able to slip a favourite book in one’s pocket and to be able to take it on a journey.The text is necessarily small in this edition but not so small that reading is a strain. They have the original first edition dust jackets which is a nice touch. They books are well made and, impressively, the bindings are sewn. The slip case is strong and well designed.Whilst I would not recommend this as an only copy of the LOTR this is undoubtedly a lovely edition and great quality.

The set is really pocket size. Still, printing is good and really readable. You can carry a book with you on ease.Unfortunately, one book arrived damaged (on photo).

So these books are actually quite a beautiful piece. They have a classic feel and look to them, resembling the design of the early editions. They're not too small either, as it may seem. What I would say is a "novel book" size. Thats all I have to say really, they're perfect for any book collection.

Amazing quality and lovely collection.However, I misread the description and didn't realise the are pocket-sized. That was my mistake and I love everything about them so I'm keeping them haha!

Great value box set, a fantastic gift for any Tolkien fan.

Looking at pictures, I got the impression that the books were bigger and got the impression that I am in for a long read. Both impressions got the better of me once I received the box today. Furthermore, the cardboard box also made me think that the books are bigger, only to see, once I opened it that you could fit in 2-3 more products of the same kind.Off to the product, although the books are small in size, almost pocket size, there are 1500+ pages worth reading. The discounted price was ideal, considering that you get all 4 books + additional content such as the Appendices and with hardcover, rather than paperback cover. Rather unsatisfied about the introductory cover which might deteriorate faster than the books.In conclusion, for the price I bought the books, the product is satisfying and a proper start in developing my own Tolkien collection of writings concerning the universe of Arda.

This is a review for the book set, not the stories. The book set looks really beautiful. Each book is small enough to easily travel with, but not so small to make reading difficult. That said, given these are about mass paperback size, some may find the font too small. The set can also be a nice collector piece. Either way, it will look good on the bookshelf.

It’s compact size is great for travel.

Ho letto il Signore degli Anelli 7 volte. Ho perciò gioito quando ho saputo che ne sarebbe uscita una nuova traduzione a cura di Ottavio Fatica. Poi ho saputo che nella nuova traduzione Samvise sarebbe diventato Samplicio, i raminghi FORESTALI e i Brandibuck BRANDAINO. E ho pensato che non fosse per me.Quindi ho deciso di ribellarmi a questo scempio leggendo la versione originale in lingua madre. L'impresa non è delle più semplici ma armati di Google per le parole più vetuste e quelle inventate dello stesso Tolkien è davvero godibile e un ottimo boost per la padronanza della lingua inglese.Ah sì, i libri sono piccoli e scritti a caratteri piuttosto minuti ma fatti molto bene. In più le sovracopertine riproducono le copertine originali, un tocco di classe. Consiglio.BRANDAINO. Va va....

The media could not be loaded. They were a bit smaller than I thought but still really nice!

Nice illustrations and book covers